Page 31 of I Don't Need Your Love

“Then why do you assume we’re talking about you?”

“Because you get this expression on your face whenever you talk about me,” he says. “Or when you’re ticked off at me. Well, whenever I’m pretty much in the same vicinity as you.”

“I don’t get any expression,” I mutter.

“You definitely do,” he says with a light chuckle. “Honestly? It makes me feel special.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“She’s cute when she’s mad, isn’t she?” Ryder says to Addie. “Well, you’re cute all the time,” he clarifies as his eyes settle back on me. “But you’re extra cute when you’re ticked off.”

“Is that why you’re ruining my life?” I demand.

He winks. “Can’t tell you all my secrets.”

More and more dancers arrive, and then Coach Moreno walks in. She seems very excited to be here, as do the rest of the dancers. There’s a charge in the air that I didn’t feel during the tryouts. That gives me hope that we can turn this team into the best it can be.

“As you all do your stretches, I want you to vote for a captain,” Coach Moreno announces. “Carly Simmons was our temporary captain because this whole idea was hers, but everyone should have a say on who they want as their captain. We can wait a few days if you guys want to get to know each other better, but I would like someone chosen within the next few days.”

Ryder raises his hand. “Why can’t Carly remain captain?”

Addie nods.

“She can,” Coach Moreno says. “But it was her idea to put it to a vote. She didn’t want to push herself on anyone.”

“The dance teamwasher idea,” Naya says in a quiet voice. “We wouldn’t be here if not for her.”

“Agreed,” Addie says. “And she worked really hard on the choreography. No one is as dedicated as her. I think she’ll be the best captain in the world.”

Ryder raises his hand again. “I couldn’t agree more.”

More members of the team nod as well.

Every part of me fills with warmth. It feels really good to be appreciated. The fact that Ryder is part of the appreciation party makes my insides fill with nothing but confusion, but I don’t have time to try to make sense of it now. He could be trying to mess with me somehow.

Coach Moreno smiles. “Wonderful. Now that the matter is taken care of, there’s also the topic of choosing a dance uniform. But we’ll deal with it after practice. I want to get started right away so we can have something ready in time for this Friday’s game. And the competition is only two weeks away. If we’re not ready by then, we may not be able to compete.”

“But then we might not qualify for nationals,” I say.

She nods. “That’s true. So let’s try our hardest to make this happen!”

We cheer and then spread out to the center of the gym. Coach Moreno gestures at me and says, “I heard you put together a routine.”

“Yeah.” I step forward and turn around to face everyone. “It’s okay if you guys don’t like it. We can try something else. Okay, here it is.”

The routine is about two minutes long. I like to incorporate all different kinds of dance styles into my routines, even moves that might be a little on the athletic side. I’m not sure if the dancers are ready for this, though, and I just found out that Ryder hurt his leg during a football game and can’t play anymore. He’s still recovering from his injury. Will he be able to do the routine?

When my eyes flit in his direction, I find him watching me with what looks like awe. He’s seen me dance a million times, and he saw me dominate at the dance game. But for some reason, he’s watching me like he’s never seen me dance like this before. And that makes butterflies flap around in my stomach.

But I try to push all that away. There shouldn’t be a single butterfly in my stomach because Ryder watching me dance means nothing to me. Maybe my dislike for him has dropped a tiny bit because of all he’s done for the team, but that doesn’t mean I want to be his best friend. It’s like he said—he and I will be teammates. But that’s all.

When I’m done, I find every single member of the team gaping at me. Then they clap and cheer, a girl whistling.

“Oh my gosh, that was epic!”

“I can’t wait to learn it.”

“I don’t know if I can learn the moves. It looks so complicated.”